Photographic apparatus for correcting negatives during printing thereof



Jan. 5, 1954 F. WALLER 2,664,781

PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR CORRECTING NEGATIVES DURING PRINTING THEREOF Original Filed Feb. 4, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet l IIIIIIIIIII IIl Fred Waller- INVENTOR .ITTORNEY Jan. 5, 1954 2,664,781

F. WALLER PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR CORRECTING NEGATIVES DURING PRINTING THEREOF Original Filed Feb. 4, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fred Wal/ INI'ENT d m/2M TTURNH' 4 F. WALLER PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR CORRECTING NEGATIVES DURING PRINTING THEREOF Original Filed Feb. 4, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fred Waller I N VE N TOR TORN 3 Patented Jan. 5, 1954 PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS FOR COR- RECTING NEGATIVES DURING PRINT- ING THEREOF Fred Waller, Huntington Station, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Henry Booth Methods Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Original application February 4, 1948, Serial No.

Divided and this application September 30, 1949, Serial No. 118,928

3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to photography and more particularly to a photographic apparatus in which a photographic negative containing several aspects of an object or person is corrected by printing each aspect individually in a position determined by observation of some other aspect of the object or person and is a division of my copending application Serial No. 6,217, filed February 4, 1948,

While it is known that photography may be used for making measurements of an object, or of a person, known methods and apparatus are not sufficiently complete or accurate enough to permit the procurement of all the required measurements or information. Furthermore, it has not before been commercially practical to obtain by means of a single photograph all the contours and dimensions necessary to make the patterns for a suit of clothes so that the perfect fit can be obtained without one or more try-ons.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of an apparatus by which a single photograph of an object or person can be correctly printed, and from which can be made all the measurements necessary to determine the contour and size of the object or of a person.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an apparatus for printing a corrected photograph from a photographic negative having a plurality of aspects of an object or person, each aspect of the object or person being printed individually in a position determined by observation of some other aspect of the object or person.

Still another object of the invention is the procurement of a photograph having three laterally -spaced images of lateral aspects of the object and having a fourth area above the laterally spaced areas for an image of the top of the object, all *of said images having been printed individually with corrections in the optical printer of the invention.

Other and further objects of the invention will be suggested to those skilled in the art from the description which follows.

In the illustrated embodiments of the invention like reference characters designate similar elements shown in the drawings which consist of the several views as follows:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an optical printer, according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view and Fig. 3 is a side view of the negative holder of the optical printer;

Fig. 4 is a top view and Fig. 5 is an elevation of the holder vfor the sensitized material to be printed;

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of the holder for the sensitized material taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are elevations of masks alternately to be placed in the holder for the sensitive material;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a photograph which has been or may be corrected by the apparatus disclosed herein;

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a viewer for determining displacements of the images from their plane of interest or focal plane; and

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the screen of the projector shown in Fig. 11.

A photograph 53, such as shown in Fig. 10, comprises profile, front, back and top views of the object or person on the object support and may be produced by an apparatus of the type described in my copending applications Serial No. 6,217, filed February 4, 1948, and Serial No. 118,927, filed September 30, 1949. Such photograph has three laterally spaced image areas 54, 55 and 56 and a fourth area 51 above said laterally spaced image areas for a top view of the object or person. Such photograph 53, in addition to the respective images of the object or person, also contains images of the circular disk 25, of the ring 30, the index marks 32 and 33 thereon, of the in-seam measuring device and scale 28, a top view of the ring 30 with the reference cross 48 at the center thereof. Also, the top View shows the disk 25 within the circular ring 39. Such photograph provides a check upon the proper location of the objects of known dimensions, disk 25 and ring 30, and of any of the mirrors used in making the origina1 negative. For instance, if any one of the mirrors is inadvertently shifted, the size or alignment of the images of disk 25 and ring 30 will be altered to indicate immediately that correction is required in that particular studio. The photograph 53 may also include, in a known manner, a harness of measuring tapes on the person being photographed.

The photograph 53 may now be placed in a Viewer or projector 58, see Fig. 11, having a lamphouse 59 containing a conventional light source 60, condenser lenses 6|, objective lenses 62 and vertical, lateral and rotatable adjustments for the photograph 53 obtained in a known manner respectively by the knobs 63, 64 and 65. The image beam in projector 58 is reflected by a mirror 66 onto a screen 61. Preferably, the screen 61 is etched or otherwise provided with a horizontal reference line 68 and a diagonal reference line 69, as shown in Fig. 12.

By means of such a projector it is possible to observe'the displacement ofany of .the'images of lateral aspects of the object with respect to each other, the amount that the object is twisted,

tilted, or leans to one side or the other. Any such it sometimes is necessary to correct the images on the photograph-53 before taking the measurements to be used in making the wearing-apparel.

For-this purpose, the projector-58 can be used to determine from. the image area 57 the amount that the person is tilted with respect to the vertical plane defined by the reference marks 32 and 33 in image area 54 orfrom the intersection of the reference planes defined by the reference cross 40 in image area 5?. Similarly, by observation of image areas I 55 and/or 57, the amount that the person is leaning to one side or the other can be ascertained by comparisonof the persons image with the reference marks'32 and 33 in image area 56 and with reference cross 48 in image area 51.

If desired, the amount or such leaning to' one side or the other can be verified by comparison of the persons image with the reference marks 32 and 33 in image area 5 6 Finally, observation of the top view of the person in image area'B'I permits determination of the amount that the person is twisted and for this purpose comparison is made with the diagonal reference .line I59v and with the images of thedia'gonal lines 41 on the.

floor of the studio. While it is preferable'to make the checks on mirror'positions and on positions of disk 25 and ring 30 in the projector1'58, it will be apparent that such checkand the determinations of displacements of the person can be made directly on the-photographicnegative or in the optical printernext tobe described.

The optical correction of the photographic images obtained constitutesan important refinement in the method and apparatus ofmeasuring objects by photography and particularly for-a method and apparatus providing photographs to be measured for the-making of wearing apparel for people. Such opticalcorrection is. advantageously accomplished in an optical printer comprising generally an illuminating andoptical system, a negative holder, an objective lens, and a sensitized material holder. The aforementioned parts of the optical printer, according to the invention, are mounted upon a base plate 10.

A lamphouse TI on base plate I0 containsa lamp receptacle I2, a lamp 13, a reflector it and a pair of condenser lenses I5. ,One end of the lamphouse TI is provided withan opening I6 through which a beam of light is projected.

A negative holder indicated generally as IT in Fig. l is positioned to support a photographic transparency in registry with opening 26. Specifically, a base plate 78 is'attached tothe' open :guideways'19'andin turn carries a pair of vertical guideways 8|. A vertically movable plate 82 has its side edges engaging guideways 8i and is provided with a circular counter-bored opening 63. A rotary mounting plate 83 is mounted for rotation within said opening 83, is held therein by a plurality of lugs 83', and carries a negative frame "85 mounted 'thereon by hinges 86 and spring pressed thereagainst by a coil spring 81. Thus,

the negative or photograph 53 can be mounted 15' sertingthetnegative and releasing the frame 85 on plate84 merely by opening the frame 85, in-

forspringpressureagainst the negative or transparency.

Horizontal, vertical and rotary adjustments are preferably provided for the negative holder.

Horizontal adjustment is obtained by means of a thumbscrew '88 rotatably supported in a journal 'block 69 on base plate I8 and threaded into a screw block 90' on plate 80 over one of the vertical guideways 8I. A flange 9! on thumbscrew '08 prevents axial movement of the thumbscrew with respect to journal block 89 and so that rotation of thumbscrew 88 moves the. laterally movable plate 80 to one side or the other, asviewed from Fig. 2. A second thumbscrew 92 has a flange-93 rotatably mounted in a journal block 94 on plate 80 and engages a screw block 95 on the vertically movable plate 82. Thus, rotation of thumscrew 92will raise or lower the negative holder, as viewed" from Fig. 2.

Another thumbscrew 96 is threaded through a screw blocks! on plate82 and has its end engaging against the end of a tongue member 96 which is mounted by screws 99 upon the rotary mounting plate 84. A coil spring I60 has one end attached to tongue member. 98 and the other member attached to a post IOI on screw block 6?. As a result, the rotary mounting plate 64 is normally pressed against the end of the thumbscrew 96 which is' rotated in one direction Or the other to rotate the mounting plate 84 and the I04 between which a pair. of rods I05 extend. A

carriage'frame I00 includes-a pair .of spaced blocks I07 mountedto' slide on said rods I05. Coil springs I08 encircle rods I05 and normally urge the carriagejframe I06-and blocks I07 against the end ofa rod I09 which is threaded through one of end members I04 and which has a graduated knob IIO moving with respect to. a, pointer III on endm'ember I 04. Rotation of knob IIO will, therefore, cause movement of the carriage frame I06 and objective lens 'I 02 longitudinally of the optical printer as shownin Fig. 1. A pair of vertical rods I I2 are mounted between brackets I I3 on carriageframe I06 and an objective mount II 4 has perforated ears. H5 slidable on said rods II2. Coil'sp'ring. II 6 encircle rods I I 2 and urge the objective mount II 4 and objective lens I02 therein upwardly. andagainst the end ofa threaded rod (not shown) which bears against'the uppersurface or objective mount I I4, whichis threaded through carriage .frame I06 and which is operated by a graduated knob II'I. An

index member II 8 permits observation of the adjustment of knob I IT or its return to a known position.

The holder and mounting means for the lightsensitive material to be exposed or printed makes it possible to adjust such material with respect to the negative in three senses, namely, transversely, vertically and rotatably to tilt the material with respect to the negative. The specific means for obtaining such adjustments can be provided in several ways but one convenient ar rangement of such adjustment is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. One lateral adjustment for such a holder is accomplished by a pair of threaded rods II9 extending at each end through a pair side rails I26 on base I9 and carrying thumb nuts I2I. A pair of blocks I22 are mounted in spaced relation on each of threaded rods I I9 and are fastened to a circular support plate I23. A rectangular supporting frame I24 comprises side arms I25 and a bottom member I26 which is fastened by a headed stud I21 and nut I28 to support plate I23 for rotation thereon. A semicircular guide plate I29 is fastened by screws I39 to an intermediate turntable I3I and is provided with an arcuate slot I32. A threaded bolt I33 extends upwardly through supporting plate I23, a spacing block I34 and slot I32 for engagement by a winged nut I35, By means of the adjustments described, it is possible to displace the supporting frame I24 transversely of the base plate It! and also to rotate the supporting frame I24 about a vertical axis through the headed stud I2'I. The lateral adjustment accomplished by adjustment of the thumb nuts I2I will permit aligning of the vertical axis of rotation with the optical axis of the objective lens I02 and loosening of wing nut I35 will permit rotation of the supporting frame around such vertical axis to bring the plate into parallelism with the negative or transparency in the negative holder.

The plate holder proper, see Figs. 5 and 6, comprises a frame I36 provided with an exposure opening I31 and a mask guideway I38. Said frame I36 has a bottom ledge I39 and a lateral shoulder I40 with a central peak I4I. A pair of leaf springs I42 are mounted on ledge I39 and extend upwardly to press a sheet of sensitive material against the frame I36. Another leaf spring I43 is mounted on the end of bottom ledge I39 for engaging the edge of a sensitized plate to urge its other edge against the peak I4I of lateral shoulder I40. A pair of clips I44 are mounted on frame I36 to engage the lower edge of a mask to be later described, and which may be inserted in the mask guideway I33.

Frame I36 also includes a pair of laterally spaced side members I45 which are each provided with square apertures I46. A square rod I4! extends through said apertures I46 and has its nds respectively mounted in crank members I48 and I49. Crank member I48 is operativel connected to side arm I25 by a headed stud I 50 and thumb nut I5I. Crank arm I49 is rotatably mounted on the other side arm I25 by means of a headed stud I52 carrying on its outer end a handle I53 and a pointer I54 movable over a scale I55 on the outer face of side arm I25. As a result, the frame I36 can be moved laterally on rod M1 to center any of the laterally spaced image areas of the photograph over the Vertical axis through headed stud I21. Furthermore, upon loosening of thumb nut iSI the frame I38 can be tilted to a, position which has been predetermined and which is indicated by the pointer I 54, whereupon thumb nut I5I is tightened and such tilted position is maintained. It should be noted that headed studs I50 and I52 are in axial alignment and that the axis of tilting for fram I36 substantially coincides with the foot line of a photograph or a horizontal line contacting the images of disks 25 at the reference marks 32 in each of the images of the lateral aspects of the object or person.

Each of the images of lateral aspects of the object are printed individually so that a differ ent correction can be made durin each printing step. For this purpose, a series of masks are provided for insertion into the guideway I38. One such mask I56, see Fig. 7, is provided with a rectangular opening I5I so that the image of the view at one side of the photograph or transparency 53 can be printed. A projection I58 extends laterally from the upper edge of mask I56 and is arranged so that the mask cannot be completely inserted into the guideway I38 until the frame I36 has been moved laterally on rod I47 to bring the vertical center line of opening I51 into coincidence with the vertical axis through the headed stud I21. A second mask I59 is provided with a central vertical opening I60 and has a lateral projection I6I, see Fig. 8. As before, the projection I6I prevents the insertion of mask I59 completely into the guideway I38 unti1 the same has been centered so that th vertical center line I60 coincides with the vertical axis of headed stud I2I. Finally, mask I62, see Fig. 9, is provided with an L-shaped opening I63 and has a projection I64. Said projection I64 prevents complete insertion of said mask I62 until the vertical portion of the opening I63 has its center line over the vertical axis of headed stud I21. The horizontal portion of opening I63 permits the printing of the top view simultaneously with one of the lateral views because a corrected image of the top view is seldom required.

The method of operation of the optical printer just described will next be explained. The fundamental principle embodied in practicing the method of the invention is that the position of each aspect of the object is corrected during printing by an amount determined by inspection or measurement of an image of some other aspect of the object or person. Such correction is accomplished by orientation including lateral adjustment, vertical adjustment, rotation or tilting of the sensitized material with respect to the photographic transparency in the negative holder. While it is possible to make corrections for vertical or lateral displacement of the image and/or tilting, twistin or leaning of the person photographed, it often happens that only one or two of such corrections need be made.

For example, the photograph 53, for some reason, such as a slight displacement of a mirror, may have one of the images of a lateral aspect above the foot line I64. This vertical displace ment could be determined by laying a straight edge across the negative or by observation with respect to the horizontal reference line 68 when the negative is viewed in the projector 56. Correction of such vertical displacement would be accomplished in the optical printer, when that image of the lateral aspect is being printed, by adjusting the thumbscrew 92 on the negative holder to bring the image of the reference mark 32 onto the same horizontal line with the other images. Such an adjustment can be facilitated by the insertion of a clear glass plate with a horizontal etched line thereon into the frame I36. Likewise, lateral shifting of the image of a lateral aside-HQ pect of the personcanr be accomplished by adjustm'entfof .theTthumbscrew .88 Ionrthe negative holder. Finally, angular displacement of any image can: be corrected in .the'optical printer by adjustment of the thumbscrew 95. Such adjustments are primarily for correction of inadvertent displacements of the mirrors or objects of known dimension in the studio described in the aforementioned applications.

The adjustments of the objective lens I02 are seldom necessary once the longitudinal adjustment has been set for proper ratio of the negative and positive image sizes which should be one-to-one. The adjustment of graduated knob l I! merely raises or lowers the lens I92 for proper centering of thelens with respect to the transparency.

.Also, the lateral adjustment of the sensitive material holder by means of thump nuts [2i need not be changed once the vertical axis through the headed stud [2? has been moved to intersect the optical axi through objective lens 32. The other adjustments of the sensitive material holder are for the purpose of correcting the position of the object or person photographed. The person being photographed as previously mentioned, may be tilted forwardly or rearwardly of the plane defined by one set of opposite pairs of the index marks32 and 33*. The amount of such tilting can best be determined from the profile view but may also be determined by the amount that the estimated center of the persons head is displaced from the reference cross 48. Inasmuch as an angular determination of the amount of tilting is required to set the frame I36 at a corresponding angle of tilting, the determination of this correction is-preferablymade from the profile view. Assume a forward tilt in the profile view of 10, which is not unusual in actual practice. When mask I59 is in place for printing of the front View of the person, the handle I53 is rotated through the angle determined by inspection, in this case 10, of the profile view and the exposure of the sensitive material is made. The result of such exposure is in effect to obtain an image of the person as though a position were taken with the plane of interest of the person coinciding with the plane defined by the index marks 32 and 33. The same correction may be made with an opposite angle of tilting, suchas an angle of 10 in the other direction and exposure of the area for printing the back view.

Assume now that the person is twisted during photographing some as determined by inspection of the top view. As before, the amount of twist can be measured directly on the nega tive or with respect to the diagonal reference line 69 on the screen 61 of projector 58. Such correction is applied during printing of the front and rear views of the person by loosening the wing nut I35and swinging the supporting frame 42% around a vertical axis through an angle of 15 orangle corresponding to the amount of the twist found from the top view of the person photographed. As before, the projections on the masks will not permit the printing of the front and back views until the area to be printed is centered over the vertical axis of rotation of supporting frame I24. While not generally necess ary, it is within'the scope of the invention that two corrections may be applied simultaneously to a single view. ,For example, the frame I36 may be tilted througha determined angle to correct for tilting of the person and may be rotated around a vertical axisto correct the twist of the personat the same t-imeand the Also, at this point it is noted that the least likely point/of displacement is thefoot line and all tilting corrections are made around such line as an axis. For this reason, the axis of rotation through headed studs E50 and I52 substantially coincides with the foot line for the view being corrected and which is generally common to all of the lateral views being printed.

After printing of the sensitive material or plate, according to the method and in the apparatus just described, the sensitive material is processed by known photographic methods to develop the latent image thereon. Generally and preferably, a positive image is obtained at this point with dark backgrounds on account of the dark strips on the studio fioor, walls and ceiling, as described in my pending application Serial No. 118,927 filed September 30, 1949. The image of the person to be photographed will generally be light, providing good contrast to the background for measurement of outlines. Such contrast is of peculiar advantage in the present system and because true measurements are taken only along those portions of the image which are in the planes defined by the reference marks 32 and 33.

Since many variations of the apparatus disclosed herein are possible, the present disclosure is merely illustrative, and the scope of the invention is defined by the claims which follow.

Having now particularly described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States and what I claim is: i

1. In an apparatus for photographic printing having an optical axis and a copy plane for receiving a plurality of projected images, the combination comprising a holder for receiving a light-sensitive material and for supportingsaid material in said copy plane and provided with a mask guideway, a support member mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, a slidable connection between said holder and said support memher for permitting movement of said holder to center any one of said images with respect to said vertical axis, and a mask for insertion into said guideway, provided with an opening for. receiving one of said images, and having a portion preventing complete insertion of said mask into said guideway until said holder has been moved along said slidable connection to center said mask opening with respect to said vertical axis.

2. In an apparatus for photographic printing having an optical axis and a copy plane for receiving a plurality of projected images arranged along a common base line displaced from said optical axis, the combination comprising a holder for receiving and supporting a light-sensitive material in said copy plane and provided witha mask guideway, a support member adapted to be rotated about a vertical axis, a transverse member slidably connected to the upper portion of said holder to center any one of said images with respect to said vertical axis, a mask for insertion into said guideway, provided with an opening for receiving one of said images, and having a portion preventing complete insertion of said mask into said guideway until said holder has been moved along said slidable connection to center said mask opening with respect to said vertical axis, and a crank means operatively connecting said member and said transverse member for tilting said holder about an axis fixed and, displaced with respect to said optical axis andcoinciding with the projected image of said base line in said copy plane.

3. In an apparatus for photographic printing having an optical axis and a copy plane for receiving a plurality of projected images arranged along a common base line displaced from said optical axis, the combination comprising a base, a holder for receiving and supporting a lightsensitive material in said copy plane and provided with mask opening, a vertical supporting frame for said holder, a mounting member for said frame, a pivotal connection between said supporting frame and said mounting member, a transverse adjusting means between said mounting member and said base for moving the vertical axis of said pivotal connection to intersect said optical axis, a cross bar transversely of said frame and along which said holder is transversely movable, a mask for insertion into said guideway, provided with an opening for receiving one of said images, and having an extending portion preventing complete insertion of said mask into said guideway until said holder has been moved 10 along said cross bar to center said mask with respect to said vertical axis, and a crank member operatively connecting said frame and said cross bar for tilting said holder with respect to said copy plane about an axis fixed and displaced with respect to said optical axis and coinciding with the projected image of said base line in said copy plane.

FRED WAILER.

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